Top Tory’s case for the Common Market

50 YEARS AGO

Local MP and former Conservative Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home made his views on the Common Market- predecessor of the EU - clear to a meeting in Crieff.

“The Question said Sir Alec Douglas-Home K.T., M.P., is not whether we can afford to join the Common Market but whether we can afford to stay out of it?

“Sir Alec was speaking on ‘Agricultural Opportunities in the Common Market’ to a meeting of junior agriculturalists and farmers in Crieff last Friday.

“Sir Alec who is convinced Britain should join the Common Market, pointed out that Europe, historically, has always been a source of war. Anything which tends towards European unity is a gain for stability and therefore for economic expansion.

“Eruope is composed of countries with populations which are below the 60 million mark. The United States is 180 million and Russia about the same. It has been proved that only expanded units of industrial production will be able to compete with these giants.

“Sir Alec continued that as part of Europe, Britain would operate behind an external tariff and the whole of the internal market of Europe would be open.

“Of course the local MP said we could ignore Europe’s market and protect ourselves and thereby improve our agricultural prospects and exist - if we did not invite massive industrial retaliation from countries overseas.”